


Somehow Believable

by honestlydarkprincess



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkwardness, Cute, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Insecure Bucky Barnes, Insecure Steve, Insecurity, M/M, Misunderstandings, Panic Attacks, Pet Names, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Prom, communication is important, cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-10 01:41:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7825261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestlydarkprincess/pseuds/honestlydarkprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha convinced Steve to ask Bucky to prom, and Steve actually thought he had a chance. Too bad Bucky was already going with someone else. </p><p>Is Bucky really in love with someone else or is this just a huge misunderstanding?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! I hope you all enjoy this angsty highschool au!

"It’s never going to happen, Nat."

Natasha sighed, rolling her eyes. They were sitting in the cafeteria after school, yet again talking about Bucky. She looked at her best friend, taking in the pathetic expression on his face. She knew that he was crushingly afraid of being rejected by Bucky, but she was sure it wouldn’t happen. You only had to take one look at Bucky to see just how head over heels in love with Steve he was. Honestly, it was sickening and only a little bit cute.

"Look, Steve, Bucky is crazy about you! I know you don’t believe me but remember I’m always right. I really do think you should ask him out." Natasha knew she sounded exasperated but, in her defence, there are only so many times you can listen to someone pine and refuse to do anything about it, before you’re ready to just shove them in a closet and hope they stop being so stupid.

Steve groaned, letting his head drop onto his arms that were folded on the table. He knew she was right and that if he ever wanted something to happen with Bucky, he should at least attempt to make something happen. But…he just couldn’t. This wasn’t just anyone. This was Bucky.

"You don’t get it, Nat! It’s Bucky. If it was anyone else, it wouldn’t matter. Yeah, rejection always sucks but this…this is different." Steve said, his voice dropping to a whisper by the end of his sentence.

Natasha’s expression softened, "I know, sweetie."

Steve just looked so miserable Natasha finally let up, "Fine. I’ll drop it, for now, babe. But I still think you should ask him. I know it’s terrifying, but you never know, he might just surprise you. Anyway, let’s go get some coffee! Come on, I’m buying."

Grabbing Steve’s arm Natasha pulled him up and dragged him in the direction of their favourite coffee place.

As they got their coffees and found a place to sit, Natasha gazed at Steve; praying to anyone who would listen that Bucky wouldn’t hurt her best friend. Steve was very strong, he could take shit from just about anyone. Bucky was the exception. Natasha knew that the only other person who could hurt Steve, aside from her and his mum, was Bucky.

Hopefully, Bucky wouldn’t screw this up.

 

xXxXxXxXx

 

The next time Steve saw Bucky, Natasha’s words echoed in his head. He couldn’t believe it, but he was actually considering asking Bucky to the prom. He’d wanted this for years and now there was a chance, no matter how slim, it could happen.

"Hey, Bucky," Steve said, coming up beside him while he was at his locker. Steve’s heart fluttered when Bucky looked at him with a wide smile. 'Stupid boy for being so attractive and having such a beautiful smile' Steve mentally grumbled.

"Hey, pal. What’s up?"

"Uh, there’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about," Steve mumbled, clutching the books he was carrying tighter to his chest.

Bucky paused in his organizing of his locker, looking over at Steve worriedly and giving him his full attention.

Steve took in a quick breath when Bucky’s attention was fully on him. He always forgot how intense the boy was. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and spoke, "Um, about prom…I wanted to know if you-"

Steve didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence because Bucky interrupted him, "Yeah, about that! Maria said yes!"

Steve blinked at Bucky’s grinning face, feeling shock set in. Natasha had seemed so sure…but of course, Bucky didn’t like him. Why would he? Shaking himself from his thoughts, Steve attempted to smile.

"Aw, that’s great, Buck. I’ll probably just go with Natasha. I hope you two have fun!" Steve said quickly, eager to get away. The burning in his eyes became more insistent and he tried to swallow around the lump in his throat.

"Hey, are you okay, Stevie?" Bucky asked, seeing the beginnings of tears in his friend’s eyes.

"Oh yeah, I’m fine, it’s just allergies. I have to go, I have class. I’ll..um..I’ll talk to you later." Steve forced himself to say, giving Bucky a watery smile and rushing away.

Bucky watched him leave with a confused look on his face, "But…you don’t have allergies…"

 

xXxXxXxXx

 

"Steve! How'd it go?" Natasha grinned, excitement lighting up her face as she waved him over to her table.

Steve hurried beside her and dropped down to his seat in English Lit, thankful it was his last class of the day.

"He’s already going with someone." Steve grit out, ignoring the tears that threatened to reappear. He forced himself not to look at Nat when she gasped, he couldn’t look her in the eye right now. He knew that if he did, he’d break down crying right in the middle of the classroom.

Natasha looked at him shocked and confused. How could this have happened? She was so sure Bucky liked Steve back. And he did. Unless she was widely incorrect in reading people, which was extremely unlikely.

"What?! Who?"

"Maria Hill. She’s in his math class. I knew they talked sometimes but I didn’t know they had gotten, uh, close." Steve mumbled, trying to distract himself by flipping through his binder.

When Natasha didn’t reply, Steve looked up. He noticed a hurt and jealous expression on Nat’s face and grew confused.

"Nat?" He prodded, concerned.

"What? Uh, sorry, babe. It’s just, well, I kind of wanted to ask Maria myself." She said softly, looking at her hands.

Steve drew in a sharp breath and looked at her with sympathy, "Fuck, I’m so sorry, Nat."

She looked up at him and shot him a weak smile, "It’s okay, I’ll be okay."

Steve looked at her for a moment and made a decision.

"Natasha Romanova, will you do me the honour of going to prom with me?" He asked dramatically, making her giggle. "I know I’m not Maria, but I promise I’ll give you a nice night filled with awkward dancing and minimal pining."

Natasha laughed and looked at him gratefully.

"I’d like that, babe. Thank you."

"Anything for my best gal," He grinned, his grin widening when she grinned back.

He was still unbelievably disappointed Bucky was going with someone else but he was going to make the most out of prom. He wouldn’t let this get in the way of having an awesome night with his best friend.

 

xXxXxXxXx

 

It was two weeks till prom and Steve had been avoiding Bucky since their talk at Bucky's locker. It was surprisingly easy. Steve used to curse their conflicting schedules, they only had one class together, but now he was glad. He missed Bucky a lot but he needed this space. He couldn't bear to look at Bucky's smiling face and re-live the rejection he felt.

He knew he was being unfair to Bucky and he was being a terrible friend. He shouldn't be upset at Bucky for not liking him back. He should respect it and try to move on.

With that in mind, Steve went looking for Bucky for the first time in days.

Unfortunately, for Steve, when he found Bucky, he was curled up with Maria at a far table in the library. Too focused on Maria’s arms around Bucky, he missed the utterly miserable look on Bucky’s face and the concerned look on Maria’s.

He stood frozen at the entrance for a minute, just staring at them with wide eyes.

He had known they were going together, so he had no idea why it was such a shock to see them being affectionate. Ignoring his feelings for Bucky and being happy for him was going to be harder than he thought.

With one last glance at the 'happy couple', Steve turned to flee. By doing this, he missed when the movement caught Bucky’s eye and he looked up; Steve never saw Bucky’s expression crumble as he watched Steve run away.

When Steve found Nat, she looked at him once before gathering him up in her arms. He buried his face in her neck and let the tears fall.

Natasha felt tears burn in her own eyes as she both saw and felt her best friend’s heartbreak. She tightened her arms around him for a moment, before letting go and gently wiping his tears away.

"Come on, let’s go watch a movie and eat ice cream!"

Steve gave her a watery smile, his heart swelling with love for his amazing best friend.

"Okay," He sighed. He knew she wouldn’t let him leave her sight until she was sure he was cheered up at least a little bit. Plus, maybe this is what he needed right now. Some down time with his best gal.

He brightened up and gathered his stuff, hovering while she packed up what she had been working on before he arrived.

Nat grinned as she saw Steve start to brighten, his expression becoming more genuinely excited. She finished packing up her stuff and threw an arm around his shoulders as they walked out.

 

xXxXxXxXx

 

Meanwhile, Maria was comforting Bucky as he watched the boy he’d been crushing on for years scurry away. His expression had crumpled: tears forming in his eyes and letting out a sob. She put her arms around him and he leant into her.

This was all a huge misunderstanding.

Maria wasn’t _with_ Bucky. At least, not in the way Steve seemed to think.

These boys were so oblivious.

She had absolutely no idea how Steve didn’t see just how stupidly-in-love Bucky was with him and vice versa. They were that kind of in love where they’d say things like "Forever and always" or "Till the end of the line". You know, sappy shit like that.

Maria had been surprised when Bucky had come to her a couple weeks ago. They had a couple of shared classes and were friends. They had gotten closer this year but she was still surprised when Bucky had shown up at her house, crying. He explained to her how he had tried to ask Steve to the prom and Steve wasn’t interested.

She comforted him for a couple hours and when Bucky stopped crying, she’d suggested a movie.

She was actually the one who had brought up going to prom together. Bucky wasn’t who she wanted to go with but it didn’t look like Maria would get to go with the one she wanted, so why not be there for a friend?

He had looked at her with a wide grin and admitted he had been scared he’d have to go alone. Maria knew exactly how he felt.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she felt Bucky move.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked. It was a stupid question but one she had to ask.

"Y-Yeah, I’ll be fine," Bucky sniffed, voice cracking.

Maria’s heart went out to the miserable boy.

She was dealing with her own pining, hurt, and jealousy but she at least she hadn’t been close friends with her crush. They’d talked a few times during the only class they shared, which was enough for Maria to develop a huge crush on the beautiful girl. But Bucky was dealing with all that and the newfound distance between him and Steve. Which was why they’d been curled up in the library in the first place. Maria had found Bucky sitting there, blankly staring at the table, looking like a downtrodden puppy.

Making a quick decision Maria started gathering their stuff, momentarily ignoring Bucky’s confused stare.

"Come on, let’s go have dinner," She said, in a tone that was gentle but also booked no argument. "I know this adorable little café, it’s just a few blocks from here."

Bucky hesitated for a moment before he stood up and followed her, putting on his sweater as they walked.

 

xXxXxXxXx

 

They had had a very enjoyable dinner. It was late, so there weren't too many people. Maria was right when she said it was adorable. It was small and cozy, exactly what Bucky needed right now. And the food. It was absolutely incredible.

"Thank you," Bucky mumbled out during a pause in the conversation.

"For what?" Maria asked, looking up from her spaghetti, confused.

Bucky flushed, looking away. He took a minute to gather his thoughts before he looked back at her, a fond, grateful expression in his eyes.

"You’ve really been there for me these last couple weeks and I want you to know just how much I appreciate that." He confessed in a quiet voice.

Maria looked at him surprised before she smiled warmly.

"You’re welcome, Buck. Always happy to help!" She replied, reaching over and taking his hand for a moment. "Honestly helping you has really helped me."

Bucky chuckled, "Listening to my pathetic pining is helpful?"

"Surprisingly, yes." She giggled, taking her hand back to continue eating her food.

Bucky looked at her for a moment before asking, "Are you ever going to tell her?"

Maria looked at him startled, "Tell who what?"

"Tell Natasha you’re in love with her," Bucky said matter-of-factly, a mischievous and knowing glint in his eyes.

"Oh! Um, I wouldn’t say in love with…" Maria started to say but was interrupted when Bucky snorted.

"You’re completely in love with her, it’s obvious," Bucky said, not a trace of doubt on his face.

Maria sighed, put down her fork and covered her face with her hands.

"I didn’t know you knew about that…" She muttered, voice muffled by her hands.

"Of course, I knew! It’s really hard not to see it. You stare at her all the time and you blush when she catches you looking. I’ve never seen you pay as much attention to anyone than when she’s talking. I swear to god your eyes glazed over that once time her shirt came up when she was taking off her hoodie. Not to mention that time she smiled at you in the hallway and you spent the next hour smiling." Bucky listed, actually ticking them off on his fingers.

Maria groaned, red staining her cheeks. She could actually feel the heat of her blush it was so bad.

"I didn’t know I was so obvious, oh my god, this is so embarrassing!" She said, embarrassment colouring her tone.

"Honestly, it’s hardly obvious to anyone but your friends. I know you’re in love with her because I’m your friend and I pay attention. But I haven’t seen any evidence that anyone else has picked up on it." Bucky quickly reassured her, he didn’t want her to close up because of embarrassment. He knew she was a pretty private person, and the only reason he was privy to so much was because they were close friends.

"Oh thank god," She sighed in relief, body relaxing.

Suddenly she blanched and stiffened in her seat, "Shit, do you think Natasha knows?!"

Bucky opened his mouth to respond but Maria cut him off, "Oh my god, what if she does! She’s probably disgusted by me! I’m supposed to be her friend, not creepily lusting after her! Fuck, what if she’s uncomfortable around me but she’s just too nice to say anything?! I don’t want her to hate me, Bucky, I love her." Maria gasped out, panic settling across her features. She clawed at her throat with trembling fingers as it got harder to breathe.

Bucky stood quickly as he noticed the signs of a panic attack and knelt in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Okay, breathe with me, Mar. You can do this. In for four and out for four, that’s it, you’re doing so good. You’re safe, just breathe."

Bucky did the breathing exercise with her until her breathing slowed back down to a regular rate.

"Thanks, Buck," Maria whispered, feeling her heart beat start to return to normal.

"No problem, Mar," Bucky whispered back, relieved that the worst of the panic was over. Having had his fair share of panic attacks, he knew just how exhausting and hard they were.

He waved over the waitress, who had been looking over with concerned eyes, and asked for the check. Quickly he paid and led Maria out of the restaurant, giving her his sweater as he knew she must be cold right about now.

Once they were outside, Maria took in a big gulp of fresh air and closed her eyes. Bucky waited by her side quietly, waiting for her to initiate the conversation whenever she was ready.

Maria did breathing exercises for ten minutes, every minute her body becoming more relaxed from the stiff, tense form she’d adopted when the panic attack had started before she opened her eyes.

"I’m sorry Bucky, I didn’t mean to ruin our dinner," She said in an apologetic tone, a blush staining her cheeks.

Bucky’s eyes widened, "No! Don’t apologize! Don’t ever apologize for that, Mar. I get them too, you know."

Now it was Maria’s turn to be surprised. She hadn’t known that Bucky also had panic attacks. She wrapped her arms around him, grateful that her friend could relate to her. He hugged her back, knowing what a good feeling it was when you had someone who actually understood. The only people who knew about his panic attacks and anxiety were his parents and Steve, and now Maria.

"You wanna sleep over? We can build a fort and watch movies!" Bucky grinned, waggling his eyebrows. He knew how much she adored forts.

"Sure, Bucky. Thank you, that sounds nice." Maria laughed, feeling lighter than before.

"Let’s go, m’lady!" Bucky said dramatically, bowing and holding out his hand. His plan worked, and she giggled, all traces of panic gone.

Maria accepted his hand, smiling widely, and they walked to Bucky’s house. Thankfully it was only about twenty minutes from the restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like it so far! I'll try to finish this fic and update soon!


	2. Angst Resolved, Happy Endings Galore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished the second half to this fic! I hope you all like it!!

It was the day of the prom and Steve was torn between disappointment and excitement. 

He was excited because he’d be going with his best friend. Even though she wasn’t who he really wanted to go with, and he wasn’t who she wanted to go with, he was determined to make this a fun night for Nat. She more than deserved to have a great night, what with all the pining she’d put up with these past weeks. 

He was also disappointed because, well, some part of him had hoped this was all a misunderstanding and Bucky would show up at his house, say he didn’t like Maria like that and ask him to go to the prom with him. But he was just being naive and stupidly hopeful. 

Steve sighed as he forced himself from his negative thoughts, and focused on the task at hand. The prom started in less than two hours and he still had to get ready and go pick up Nat. His mum was lending him the car for the night, so at least he didn’t have to walk to her house. 

Deciding to take a quick shower, he stepped into the bathroom and twisted the knob to the hot water setting. He stripped and got into the shower, letting out a breath as soon as the hot water touched him. He always forgot just calming showers were for him. 

Twenty minutes went by and finally Steve decided to get out and get dressed. So much for a quick shower. But he didn’t feel too bad about it because it had been just what he needed. 

He dried off quickly and left the bathroom, grabbing his clothes and then returned to the bathroom. He wiggled into his black boxers first then the black dress pants that Nat had helped him choose. She’d taken one look at how lost he looked in the store and had taken over. He ended up with a gorgeous black tux, better than anything he would have been able to choose for himself. It suited his small stature perfectly and even though he’d cried inside after seeing the price, he decided it was worth it. 

He shrugged into the rest of the suit automatically, thoughts wandering. Unfortunately for Steve, they went in the direction of Bucky. What kind of suit had Bucky picked out? Whatever it was, Steve just knew it would look amazing on him. He couldn’t help the treacherous thought that Bucky’s suit would look even better on Steve’s floor. 

Steve jumped when his phone beeped with an incoming text message, flushing as he realized he had just been standing there mentally drooling over Bucky. He grabbed his phone and opened his messages. He’d just gotten a text from Nat saying she was ready for whenever he was ready, and he realized that it was later than he thought. 

Thankfully, he was almost all ready. He just needed to put on the suit jacket and grab his shoes and car keys, and he’d be ready to go. He knew that if his mum was there, this would be the time she’d be taking thousands of pictures and cooing how grown up he looked. Unfortunately, she’d had to go into work, she was working the night shift. Steve had comforted her and said maybe sometime soon he and Nat could dress up in their suit and dress, respectively, and they could take pictures. 

Steve locked up the house and rushed down the driveway to where the car was parked. Checking the time, he relaxed when he saw he would be on time, and calmly drove over to Nat’s house.

Parking the car, he got out and walked up to the door. He rang the doorbell and waited. 

His breath caught when the door opened and he saw Natasha. She was dressed in a floor-length black dress that had lace sleeves and a deep neckline. Her gorgeous red hair was artfully pinned up with a few loose curls surrounding her face and her makeup was dark but elegant.

In short, she looked absolutely, fucking _gorgeous_. 

Steve realized he was gaping like a fish and hadn’t even said anything when Natasha laughed and waved her hand in front of his face. 

"Earth to Steve," She teased, though a light blush spread across her cheeks. 

"I can’t wait to see Maria’s expression when she sees you," Steve smirked, finally coming back to the present, Natasha really did look amazing. 

Natasha beamed with pride, mentally thanking sales person for suggesting this dress. She wouldn’t admit it but she’d bought the dress with Maria in mind. Well, that, and the fact she knew she looked fucking amazing in it. It hugged her every curve and made her feel both sexy and elegant. 

"You look very handsome, babe! Bucky’s jaw will be on the floor," Nat teased, smirking since now Steve was the one blushing. 

"Oh shut up," Steve replied, looking away as his cheeks burned bright red. Natasha snickered and waved him inside. He sat on the couch in the living room as he chatted with Nat’s mum. She was a kind, older version of Natasha, however, her Russian accent was a lot heavier than Natasha’s. It added a soothing lit to her voice that never seized to comfort Steve, as did Natasha’s voice. 

"Okay, let’s get this show on the road!" Natasha exclaimed, doing one last check to see if she had everything she needed in her purse. 

Natasha’s mum had them pose for a few pictures and then they were on their way. 

Natasha waved goodbye from the window of the passenger seat as Steve pulled out of the driveway. 

"You excited?" Steve asked, looking over at his best friend; she had her eyes closed and her arm out the window. The breeze coming from the open window was a nice sensation of Steve’s face as he drove. 

"Honestly, yes," Natasha said, a note of surprise leaked into her voice. "I wasn’t really expecting to be. It wasn’t something I was all that interested in to begin with but, after I heard Maria was taken, it didn’t sound like it was worth going. But I’m glad you asked me, Steve, I really am."

Steve smiled, "I know exactly how you feel." 

"I know I’m not the person you want to go with but I’m really happy we’re going together. It’s going to be a fun best friend night! Screw having dates, at least this way it can’t end in heartbreak!" Natasha added, "Pining, though, well that’s another story…"

Steve laughed and Natasha grinned. 

Yeah, this was going to be fun. 

 

xXxXxXxXx

 

"Bucky, it starts soon! We gotta go!" Maria called up to Bucky. She was leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs while Bucky finished getting ready. She was wearing a strapless, knee length, blood-red dress. She’d paired it with black ankle boots and a tight-fitting, short sleeved leather jacket. 

Bucky came rushing down the stairs and Maria smiled when she saw him. He was wearing a form fitting, classy suit and he was also wearing his favourite combat boots. _’Only Bucky’_ Maria mentally snickered. 

"Alright, Mar! Let’s do this!" Bucky said, bouncing on his heels. 

Maria studied him for a moment, tilting her head to the side, before she smirked. 

"I’m guessing you’re excited to see Steve?" Maria teased, eyes lighting up mischievously. 

Bucky blushed and coughed, "Um…maybe a little…" 

"Don’t worry," Maria laughed, "I’m excited to see Natasha; I know how you feel."

Bucky smiled, and threw his arm around her as he walked her out of the house, "Let’s go have a fun friends night!" 

Since Bucky lived so close to the school, they had decided to just walk. Bucky locked up the house, his parents and siblings were out for the night, and they started walking. 

"Do you think there’s ever a chance for me and Nat?" Maria asked, breaking the comfortable silence between the two. 

Bucky hummed noncommittally and thought for a moment. 

"I mean, what if she has a thing for Steve?" Maria added, a pout forming on her lips. 

Bucky snorted, "Okay, well _that_ is impossible. For starters, even if Natasha wasn’t a lesbian, she only thinks of Steve as her best friend. They’re like siblings." 

Maria looked over at Bucky with hope. At least Natasha liked girls, so she had some semblance of a chance in that regard. 

"Anyway, of you have a chance. I mean, I know you’re going with me because you pity my pathetic, pining ass but if you had asked her, I know she would have said yes." Bucky continued, trying to get it across to Maria that, yes, she had a chance with Natasha and Bucky totally shipped them. 

"Thanks, Buck," Maria whispered, "I want to ask her out, I’m just worried she’s going to say no."

"Well, all you can do is try. If she says no, then it’ll suck and I’ll take you out for ice-cream and we’ll watch movies all night. But if she says yes…then you get a wonderful girlfriend!" Bucky comforted, seeing the spark of hope in his friend’s face.

"Okay, how about a deal? I’ll ask Natasha out, and you ask Steve out." Maria suggested, wiggling her eyebrows. 

She laughed as Bucky blushed. She was going to continue her teasing but then she caught sight of the school and grinned in excitement. 

She honestly couldn’t wait to see Natasha. 

 

xXxXxXxXx

 

"Fuck, she looks good." Natasha breathed out, catching sight of Maria. She and Steve were sitting at a table near the back, sipping punch and chatting. Their seats had the perfect view of doors so when Bucky and Maria arrived, it didn’t take long for them to notice the pair. 

"Ugh, you’re right. And look at Bucky. Goddammit, he’s wearing his favourite combat boots. Why is he so cute?!" Steve whined, staring longingly at Bucky. 

"I want to dance with her," Natasha mumbled, watching as Maria slipped off her leather jacket and went over to the table to get some punch. She sighed, Maria looked _amazing_. 

"Well, do you want to dance with me? It’ll take your mind off her! Mainly because you’ll be too focused on the pain in your feet, I’m a terrible dancer." 

"Haha sure, babe. Let’s dance!" Natasha said, grabbing Steve’s hand and leading him out onto the dance floor. 

They spent the next half an hour dancing and laughing. Steve had been right, dancing with him did take Nat’s mind of Maria for a while. So much so that she completely missed the longing and lustful glances Maria was sending her. 

"Let’s sit down," Natasha said, noticing that Steve’s breathing was getting quicker. Due to his asthma, Steve couldn’t dance for too long at a time. Plus, Natasha was thirsty, so, two birds, one stone. 

She left Steve at their table with the promise of bringing him punch and walked to the drink table. 

She was pouring the drinks when she felt someone coming up to stand beside her. Thinking it was just someone in line for the punch, she didn’t look up. 

"Hey, Natasha…" 

Natasha looked up in surprise, "Maria! Hi, how are you?"

"I’m good, I’m good. Are you enjoying the prom?" Maria asked, loving the flush that spread across Natasha’s cheeks. 

"It’s been fun so far! I mean, I didn’t get to go with who I wanted, but Steve and I are having a good time." Natasha said, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. She was hyper aware of the blush on her cheeks and her racing pulse. 

"Oh? And who was it you wanted to go with?" Maria asked, leaning against the table and looking into Natasha’s eyes with guarded hope. 

Natasha’s eyes widened, she hadn’t realized that she’d actually admitted that, not to mention, admitted it to the very woman she was talking about. She studied Maria for a moment before deciding to just lay everything on the table. This could either end amazingly or in a broken heart.

Fingers crossed for the amazing ending. 

"Well…," Natasha started, taking a deep breath and steeling herself for what she was going to say next. 

"I actually wanted to ask you!" Natasha blurted out, "But I know you’re with Bucky, and I would never try to get in the middle of that. I really hope I haven’t made things weird between us, that’s the last thing I want."

A beaming smile spread across Maria’s face before the other things Natasha had said fully registered. 

"Wait, what do you mean 'with' Bucky? And no, you could never make things awkward between us." Maria soothed, reaching out to grasp Nat's hand. 

Natasha’s breath caught when Maria took hold of her hand, confusion and hope running through her system. 

"Aren’t you dating Bucky? Steve said that you and Bucky were going together and I guess I assumed…" Natasha said, voice getting quieter at the end of her sentence. Now that she thought about it, Bucky asking Maria to the prom wasn't a complete sign they were together. Tons of people asked their friends. Just look at her and Steve. 

"Bucky and I aren’t a thing. I’ve had a huge crush on you for months, actually." Maria admitted, cheeks heating up. "I was hoping to ask you to this but then Bucky just looked so pathetic and I thought he needed a friend, so I said I’d go with him since Steve said no."

"Wait, hold on," Natasha said, confusion evident on her face. "What do you mean Steve said no?"

Now Maria was the one confused, "Bucky asked Steve to the prom and Steve said no."

"When?" Natasha probed, an idea of what had happened forming in her mind. If she was right…man, so much unnecessary pining! 

"About a couple weeks ago…" Maria said, trailing off as the same idea occurred to her. 

"Oh my god," Natasha snickered, everything clicking into place. "To think, if they just communicated better, there would have been so much less pining and kicked puppy looks."

"We have to do something. I can’t take anymore pining." Maria said, semi-distracted because Natasha was fucking adorable when she laughed. Her eyes scrunched a little bit and this little grin formed on her lips, it was amazing to see. 

"You’re right," Natasha agreed, flushing under Maria’s heated gaze. She’d do something about that later, but for now, she needed to help her best friend get his boy. 

"So here’s what I think we should do…"

 

xXxXxXxXx

 

"Steve! We need to talk!" Natasha ordered, grabbing his hand and pulling him in the direction of the gym doors. He took one last glance at his forgotten punch, it was really good, and followed Natasha. He had no idea what was going on but he trusted her. 

"Natasha why are you taking me to the janitor's closet?" Steve wondered, yelping when suddenly he was pushed inside. He heard the door click behind him and whirled around to pound on the door. 

"Hey! Natasha?! What the fuck!" He bellowed, fist banging on the door, "What’s going on?!"

"Well, this is awkward," A deep voice sounded behind him. He turned around, startled, before relaxing when he saw it was just Bucky. 

"What’s going on?" Steve asked, "Why are we locked in the closet?"

"I have no idea! One minute I was sitting at the table eating chips and the next, Maria’s grabbing my hand and pushing me into the hallway, then into the closet." Bucky explained, shrugging. He had an idea of why he was suddenly being locked in a closet with Steve, and he was going to have some serious words with Maria about this. 

"You two are going to talk!" A muffled voice, Maria, spoke from the other side of the door. "You guys have some shit to work out. Stop being oblivious and realize you’re both pathetically in love with each other." 

"Oh, we’re going straight to the point then are we," Natasha piped up, an amused fondness in her voice. 

"Yes! These idiots need to work this out and they’re never going to realize it on their own," Maria said, you could almost _see_ the nod that accompanied her firm statement. 

"Well, I guess we’ll leave you to it! We’ll come back in half an hour to let you out," Natasha said, "Oh! And don’t fuck in the janitors closet, please!"

"Natasha!" Steve gasped, turning bright red. The sound of her fading laughter as well as the sound of retreating footsteps not helping the embarrassment Steve was feeling. He didn’t want to turn around and face Bucky. 

He couldn’t. 

But, he didn’t really have a choice, seeing as he’d be locked in here with Bucky until the girls came back to let them out. 

He took a deep breath before he turned around. However, he did keep his eyes glued to the ground. Choosing to study the lines of Bucky’s combat boots instead of looking at the disgust and pity he was sure was clouding Bucky’s face. The girls were wrong. There was no way Bucky was in love with him. 

"Stevie…" Bucky prodded, voice quiet. But Steve was determined not to look at Bucky, switching his gaze now to the bucket that was beside Bucky’s feet. Too lost in his thoughts, Steve didn’t hear Bucky take a deep breath. 

Oh look, there was a drawing of a dog on the side of the bucket. He wondered who had drawn that. Maybe the janitor liked to draw animals on his stu-

Steve’s thoughts were interrupted when a pair of soft, warm lips were suddenly on his. His eyes widened before automatically shutting and he reached forward to grasp the lapels of Bucky’s jacket. At first, he was hesitant, before he threw himself into the kiss with everything he had. 

Steve broke away, chest heaving, and licked his lips, trying to savour Bucky’s taste.

"Wait, stop. What about Maria?" Steve said, he would not stand in the way of a current relationship, no matter how much he wanted to. 

"What are you talking about? What about me and Maria?" Bucky asked, confused. He looked a little dazed, lips red and shiny. 

"You guys are dating."

Bucky snorted, "No we’re not. Why do you think that?"

"You asked her to prom!" Steve said, weakly. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t concrete evidence, he had, after all, asked Natasha as well. 

"Yeah! Cause you said no," Bucky replied, looking away as he finished his sentence. He awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, unsure in his movements and what was going on. He had no idea how this was going to pan out. His idea of what the night was going to look like had gone out the window like 20 minutes ago. 

"What?! You never asked me!" Steve squeaked, mentally going over every conversation he and Bucky had had in the last month. 

"Yes, I did! Remember, we were watching a movie…and I asked if you were interested in going to prom…and you said no!" Bucky recounted, hurt flashing across his face. 

"What…" Steve muttered, before realization dawned on his face. He smacked his hand to his forehead and groaned out, "Oh my god, I’m so stupid." 

"When you asked me that, I didn’t know you were asking if I was interesting in going to prom _with you_. I thought you meant if I was interested in the prom in general. Oh my god, Buck, I’m so sorry." Steve explained, guilt running across his features. 

"Oh," Bucky breathed out, processing everything. "So, does this mean you were interesting in going _with_ me?"

Steve grinned at the adorable, hopeful expression on Bucky’s face. 

"Yes. You’re the one I wanted to go with in the first place! Natasha convinced me to ask you out but when I went to do it, you said Maria had said yes and you guys were going together." Steve mumbled, his blush returning as he realized this was all just a huge misunderstanding. 

"Does this mean I can kiss you?" Bucky asked slyly, licking his lips. He smirked when he saw Steve’s eyes immediately flick down to his lips. 

"Yes," Steve whispered, breathlessly. 

Bucky smiled widely before gently grabbing Steve’s face and kissing him again. They were both smiling too much for the kiss to be all that successful, but it was perfect. 

Prom had ended in a way that none of them had expected, but all were happy with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read this! I hope you enjoyed it and please, if you have a moment, let me know what you thought!


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